Body moves

Mihran Kirakosian is more than another successful “backup” dancer - he has his own individual style of dance. His resume includes collaborations with many popular singers, such as Pink, Lil’ Kim, Britney Spears, Kylie Minogue and others. He has been featured in music videos for Madonna’s “Hung Up” and “Sorry”, and performed in her “Confessions” world tour.

Many families left Armenia in the cold and dark years of the 1990s. They left their motherland in search of better life. The family of professional dancer and founder of the Arayi Dance Group, Karo Kirakosian, was no exception. As soon as Karo’s family immigrated to the United States, his seven year-old son, Mihran, started dancing in his father’s modern dance troupe. In spite of his youth, he participated in many dance competitions, appeared on television shows, and gave solo performances. Given this history, it was not surprising to anyone that Mihran chose to become a professional dancer. Inspired by Michael Jackson, Mihran tested his abilities in various classical dance genres as well as contemporary styles. His talents were already evident in high school. Mihran’s innovative and enthusiastic high school Theatre Workshop teacher, Kevin Kain, regularly staged dance performances. Mr. Kain often invited celebrities, performing artists, and experts from various talent agencies to observe his students. Many of the agents noticed the talented young dancer, but Mihran chose The Clear Talent Group and soon signed a contract with them. Although he was confident he had made the right choice, it was not easy to find recognition - there were so many strong and committed competitors in the field. However, after he participated in four dance competitions and won first prizes in all of them, Mihran realized that he was on the right path. It was the start of his stellar ascent. One of the first professional breakthroughs was his work with Britney Spears in her promotional tour – “In the Zone.” Subsequently, he participated in the “Re-invention” tour with Madonna. He still remembers the casting sessions for his first Madonna tour as one of the most exciting moments of his life – there were thousands of talented young dancers competing with each other. At first it was frightening to meet one-on-one with one of the most famous, and infamous, singers in the world. Many dancers wondered if they should try to have a conversation with her or not. In the end, everything was much simpler than he could have imagined. It turned out that even with a star of such extreme fame, one can communicate quite naturally and sometimes even get into disagreements. Mihran prefers the style of hip-hop to all other dance genres. T his style of urban music and dance has evolved since the early 1980s into a style of its own. At this time, hip-hop has become the world's favorite youth cultural movement in which just about every country seems to have developed its own local rap scene. According to Mihran, this style is constantly evolving because each dancer brings to it his or her personal and unique contribution. Mihran was first introduced to the elements of hip-hop watching the dance moves of Michael Jackson, who remains Mihran’s idol to this day. In addition, Mihran was open to learning various other dance styles. Most importantly, he was able to apply lessons taught by his friends, family, teachers, and his idols to develop his own individual style. This, he believes, is the source of his success. As for dance themes - they are unlimited. Mihran Kirakosian is twenty-three years old. Although he still can’t imagine his life without dancing, he also wants to try his hand in other fields. He is well aware that sooner or later a new generation of dancers will arrive. They will be more energetic and captivating than even the best of today’s professionals. Mihran is also sure that there is much more to life than any one path, and that one should not stop after achieving one’s early dreams. Mihran is currently working on a new hip-hop album which will be released this summer. He is also in the development stage of another creative project - a reality show called “Live to Dance” which he will submit to a major TV network later this year. For Mihran, the future is full of possibility.